This Cumberland college student is wowing the judges on ‘American Idol’

When Cumberland resident Julia Gagnon first opened her mouth to sing on the current season of “American Idol,” judges Lionel Ritchie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan were blown away. The 21-year-old Mainer seemed a little nervous at first, but once she began to sing, she transformed into a confident performer with a big, rich voice, flawlessly giving a version of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way.”

Gagnon, a student at the University of Southern Maine and a 2020 graduate of North Yarmouth Academy, was the last auditioner of the first five episodes, and was one of three to get a platinum ticket to move on to Hollywood Week.

The video of her singing “Ain’t No Way” has received over 1 million views on YouTube — not just for her powerhouse performance, but also her touching tale of love for both her adoptive mother in Maine, and her birth mother in Guatemala.

Gagnon has since made it through two more weeks of shows, and will find out tonight, April 15, if she’s moving on another week into the top 14. While voting for tonight’s show is now closed, fans can vote in the future through the American Idol app or on the website at AmericanIdol.com/vote.

After winning a ticket to Hollywood Week, Gagnon performed a version of “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and Papas with the two other platinum ticket winners, Abi Carter and Odell Bunton Jr. With the platinum ticket, the three were able to skip auditioning that week and move directly to the next round, so the performance was just for fun.

Gagnon then performed in the “Showstopper” round, giving a stirring rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the musical “Dreamgirls.” That performance won her a spot in the top 24.

The top 24 then moved on to perform in Hawaii, where they were broken into two groups of 12. Gagnon performed Adele’s song “Rumor Has It” and was again chosen to move on to the top 20.

For the top 20 episodes, which aired on Sunday night and will finish up tonight, the shows went from being pre-taped to being recorded the same week as they aired. Gagnon performed “I Believe” by Fantasia.

Fans will find out tonight whether Gagnon makes it into the top 14. For those who want to hear more of her soulful vocals, Gagnon posts videos of her singing to her YouTube channel, and has covered songs including Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”